Bulk Material Conveyors: Reducing Life Cycle Costs

In many manufacturing organizations, plant operations often receive close attention as a source of cost savings and profit improvement. Increasingly, plant managers and engineers are looking to minimize equipment life cycle costs (LCC) when purchasing bulk material conveyors for either new or existing lines.

Bulk Material Conveyors: About LCC

LCC analysis is a management tool that can help companies determine the most cost-effective option among competing equipment alternatives in the buying process. The costs incurred to operate a conveyor include the operating costs of the equipment over its life cycle beyond the initial purchase price, including installation costs, energy costs, operating costs, maintenance costs, downtime costs, environmental costs, and decommissioning/disposal costs. Since the initial purchase price of bulk material handling equipment is only a small part of the total life cycle costs, considering LCC is an important aspect of any bulk material conveyor purchasing decision.

Often, LCC analysis reveals that acquiring the conveyor system with the lowest LCC means choosing equipment with the proven reliability, durability, easy maintenance, and longevity that minimizes costs over the life of the equipment.

How UniTrak Reduces Your Equipment LCC

At UniTrak, we understand the importance of equipment life cycle costs. Our value proposition focuses on delivering the functional and economic benefits you need to gain the peace of mind and confidence that your throughput will be protected and your operations assured. Our approach to reducing equipment life cycle costs is built on four key pillars:

• We collaborate with you. In every equipment purchase, we take the time to fully understand your process, your material, and your application. This allows us to ensure that every equipment solution we supply will fit your needs exactly, ensuring a flawless commissioning and start-up.
• We “customerize” all equipment we supply. From our deep understanding of your needs, we adjust and tailor our equipment designs to deliver a fully customized solution. By adapting our conveyor designs to your specific needs, we lower the equipment life cycle costs. No more reworks, refits, service visits, or factory adjustments to make right what should have been right the first time. Our customerization process also ensures we are fully responsive to your needs, eliminating the costs associated with out-of-schedule equipment deliveries.
• We do not outsource. All aspects of our equipment design and production are done in-house. Our in-sourced design and production ensures you benefit from equipment of superior performance and durability, lowering your equipment operating costs.

UniTrak conveyors are built to last. Some of the first TipTrakTM bucket conveyors that rolled off our production line in 1969 are still in service today. Whether it is TipTrakTM bucket conveyors, Powderflight aeromechanicals, or UniFlex flexible screws, you can trust UniTrak for equipment that will stand the test of time. Every conveyor we make features the following:

• A rugged carbon or stainless steel structure
• Heavy-duty components such as idler wheels and pulleys
• A fully reliable drive system with premium-quality motor and, on TipTrakTM bucket conveyors, the TipTrakTM rubber beltchain.
• Simplified designs that enable easy system access and maintenance.
• Responsive service and support, including the provisioning of replacement parts within 48 hours of ordering.

• We do integration. We go beyond just manufacturing a conveyor to supplying equipment whose seamless integration with upstream and downstream equipment is assured. This eliminates schedule-breaking long installations, while streamlining the work of integrators.

When you need to source bulk material conveyors that minimizes life cycle costs, UniTrak is your preferred supply partner. If you are interested in finding out more about our bulk material conveying solutions that meet your needs for performance, reliability, durability, schedule, and extended lifetime, please contact our sales department.